CHRIS STEVENSON, QMI Agency

Or Zdeno Chara to make-work projects in the crown prosecutor's Montreal office?

It's possible to get by without them, but their respective worlds are so much better with them.

There have been other good stories in the NHL in the 10 months Crosby has been out -- the Boston Bruins finally winning the Stanley Cup again, Anaheim's Corey Perry going on a tear that won him the Hart Trophy, a kid like Jeff Skinner lighting it up in Carolina, the Toronto Maple Leafs (!) winning -- but when you are talking about the best player in the game, like a certain sports car, there is no substitute.

"He is by far the best player in the game," said Edmonton Oilers defenceman Andy Sutton, dismissing any possibility that there is even a debate.

"He's one of those guys, and there's only a few of them around the NHL, that tends to make the players he plays with around him better," said Buffalo Sabres defenceman Robyn Regher. "There's good players and then there's great players and that's what great players do."

Crosby, out since Jan. 5, was cleared to play Monday night against the New York Islanders in Pittsburgh after being sidelined because of a concussion sustained on hits to the head in subsequent games. He was having a season to remember when he was injured, leading the NHL in scoring with 66 points in 41 games and coming off a 25-game scoring streak.

Now, after weeks of wondering when he might return and even unfounded speculation he could retire, Crosby is poised to resume his career.

Good news for the NHL. Great news for Crosby, the person.

"It's outstanding. It's huge for our game," said Edmonton Oilers coach Tom Renney. "He's a measuring stick in so many ways. I have a young team here and to be able to identify with him and how much of a professional he is by the nature of the way he plays, of course, but how he handles being a great player and maybe the great player in the game, I think it's important to us. He helps build rinks (which the Oilers are trying to do). You've got the NBA doing their thing (in a lockout) and this is an opportunity to showcase the NHL through one of its best players. We need Sidney in the game badly."

Buffalo Sabres centre Derek Roy has been in the position where he has had to go head-to-head with Crosby.

"It means a great deal to the league. He's got so many kids that look up to him, who want to be Sidney Crosby, who want to be the guy who scores the game winner in the gold medal game to win it for Canada. He's won the Stanley Cup," he said. "He battles every day. Every time you play him, he's hard on the puck. You have watch out every time he's on the ice and stop admiring what he does with the puck sometimes. I go head-to-head him with him a lot. He's a good, tough player to go up against."

Renney makes a good point about Crosby being the gold standard. It's not just the talent and the points. Coaches can hold him up as an example to their players. As has been said of Crosby, he's a first-line player with a fourth-line player's work ethic.

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff was part of the Team Canada coaching staff at the Vancouver Olympics where Crosby, of course, scored the golden goal.

"Being around him for those two weeks, he's the complete package," said Ruff. "He's the hardest worker in practice. He pays attention to detail in the games. He is as strong as anybody I've ever seen on the puck and he's determined to make a difference in the game. You combine that with the great skill he's got. We need players like that in our game."

So, the NHL benefits, of course, by having its marquee player back in the spotlight (especially with the likes of Alex Ovechkin, Crosby's main antagonist, struggling so far this season).

Then there's the Penguins, who have been doing just fine, thanks, without Crosby (fourth in the Eastern Conference at 11-6-3). It begs the question: how much better will they be with him?

"In somebody's absence -- and I've had that -- other players get bigger roles and step up," said Ruff. "The Penguins have got a lot of good players. They still have (Evgeni) Malkin, they still have (Jordan) Staal, (Chris) Kunitz. They're some good players there who I don't think get quite enough credit. Their goalie (Marc-Andre Fleury) is a good goalie. They are a very well-coached team. They deserve all the kudos they've got without Sid in the lineup."

So it will be interesting to see how Crosby does. He's been flying in practice, but playing a game is a different deal. At what level will he perform? Most importantly, how will he respond to that first good hit?

For now, it's good news for just about everybody involved in the game that Crosby has been given the green light.

"The league definitely misses a player like that," said Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin. "When you have a guy like that out of the league for almost a year, it's not hard just for the Penguins, but for the whole league. Fans come to watch that guy. Everybody comes to watch Pittsburgh (on the road) and him in particular. Having him back, although it will be hard for the opponents he plays, I'm sure the fans will love it."

The top five reasons the Pittsburgh Penguins have been been flying high without captain Sidney Crosby:

Since losing Crosby to a concussion last Jan. 5, the Penguins have a 34-19-7 record, a remarkable performance without the NHL's top player, who 66 points (32 goals) in 41 games when he was injured (he wound up still being the top scorer on the Penguins by 16 points).

1. G Marc-Andre Fleury. The guy they call Flower has given the Penguins consistently excellent goaltending. That's the first big step to making up for the loss of Crosby's offence.

2. Coach Dan Bylsma. Despite only having Crosby and other top centres Evegeni Malkin and Jordan Staal for two games last season, he still managed to guide the Pens to a 106-point season.

3. Penalty killing. The Penguins are fourth in the league in penalty killing this season. They have allowed only seven power-play goals and scored four shorties.

4. Defenceman Kris Letang. He has emerged as a blueline leader for the Penguins and has had stretches of play where he's among the best in the league.

5. Scoring by committee. The Penguins had three players in addition to Crosby with 20+ goals and six others in double digits.